Last August, UCLA Anderson School of Management and the National University of Singapore Business School officially launched a joint Executive MBA (EMBA) program designed to train top executives for the global marketplace furthering our commitment to global management education. This month, the inaugural class of this dual-degree program began experiencing an intensive two-week residential segment at UCLA Anderson.

The UCLA – NUS partnership offers a distinctive platform for learning in a highly interactive and experiential environment. Faculty from UCLA Anderson and NUS Business School offer the highest standards of research and teaching to deliver an unparalleled response to the needs of organizations, leaders, managers and entrepreneurs in a profoundly changing global atmosphere.

Comprising the first UCLA – NUS Executive MBA class are 21 students currently living and working in Asia and the Pacific Rim representing a diverse range of industries, backgrounds and management functions.

“This new Executive MBA program is truly a distinctive opportunity as students get the advantage of entering two of the world’s leading graduate management education programs,” said inaugural class member Richard Houghton, global head of derivative operations, Standard Chartered Bank, based in London. “This global educational program provides participants with the best tools to advance our careers and professional networks.”

This international oriented EMBA program is co-directed by UCLA Anderson School Professor Chris Erickson and NUS Professor Jochen Wirtz, both of whom work closely with UCLA Anderson Dean Bruce Willison and Professor Chris Tang, who recently returned to UCLA after serving two years as dean of NUS Business School.

The program provides a well-balanced general management focus that imparts knowledge and develops skills that executives need to manage multinational corporations.

The intensive program comprises six two-week residential segments in Los Angeles, Shanghai and Singapore over 15 months, providing in-depth exposure to the distinct intellectual and business cultures of these cities and adding much value to the total learning experience. Upon completion, students will receive degrees from both UCLA and NUS, both of whose business schools are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).